Verbena
by Froffify
Summary: For Naruto, life in high school was never easy to handle. So when his loud mouth landed him in tutorials with his secret crush, he knew that the combination was sure to land him in some complicated situations. AU, JapHighSchool.


You wouldn't believe it, would you?

Class rebel, deviant, nuisance, whatever word that could be used to describe me, would end up doing stuff like _that _with the student council's president. He was practically my enemy, for Christ's sake. But somewhere along the line, I ended up falling into the most ludicrous situation that, really, shouldn't have anything to do with him.

I mean, for one thing he's a _guy. _For another, he's a stuck up _asshole. _And for another, he _hates_ my guts. At least, I thought he did. But since when did people do stuff like _that _to those they hated? Unless he knew my situation, then he'd just be fucking with me.

Because, you see, the situation I've gone and landed in is the most fucked up situation _anyone _could ever land in.

It's commonly known and referred to as _love_.

The sappiest shit I've ever stepped in during my entire seventeen years of life. And as you probably know, shit is among some of the hardest things to scrape off the bottom of your shoe, including gum. But gum doesn't leave behind an unpleasant, lingering stench after it's finally been removed.

Shit does.

I should have remembered that before letting myself stand in it. Especially when it involved Uchiha Sasuke. Because shit that involved _him,_ of all people, was practically destined to have a lingering stench. Especially with me.

I just never knew that, of all the times it would happen, it would happen in that moment. The moment when everything felt so... _right,_ it all went so wrong. And this is a story of how it happened.

While we stood on a lavender stretch of wild verbena.

-  
_Verbena  
_Chapter I  
-

"So, are we still partying tomorrow night?"

I looked up at the question. Kiba stared at me inquisitively while he casually rocked back on his chair, and I shrugged in response. "Yeah, I guess."

He smiled widely at the reply and looked at Gaara. "Is Kanky all good for getting us the alcohol?"

I saw Gaara's eye twitch at the nickname, but he tugged his phone from his pocket without a word and began tapping a message to his older brother.

"Sweet." Kiba put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, sighing in content. "It's great your brother's finally old enough to buy it. Legally, I mean. Can't wait 'til I'm old enough to buy alcohol."

I felt a slight smile tug at my lips and turned my gaze around the room, noticing that it was beginning to fill now that everyone had been released for lunch. We were currently sat in the lunch hall of Seitun High – one of two senior high schools in Konoha. We were just about halfway through our second year, though Gaara had only transferred near the end of the previous school year. It was pretty daunting, with our final year only around the corner, but none of us were really interested in attending university, so we tended to slack off wherever we could. Especially Shikamaru. I swear he probably has photographic memory, what with the amount he knows. He could ace his exams and coursework easily, but he prefers to snore his way through them just so he doesn't have to do anything advanced or, as he says, 'troublesome'.

"Don't lean back in your chair."

My head snapped around in recognition of the new voice and, sure enough, there stood Hyuuga Neji. The student council's vice president. Unusual person really. This super combatant, who was a kick ass member of both the kendo and martial arts clubs, was also a pencil pushing, rule-abiding snore-fest. He's also been on Kiba's back since he heard that he had a thing for his younger cousin, Hyuuga Hinata.

Neji's hard eyes broke from his stern glare at Kiba to slide up and gaze across the table. Curiosity piqued, I followed his line of sight and saw that Gaara's fingers had stopped moving, his steady eyes looking back at Neji coolly. I swallowed as they stared at each other, wondering if anything had ever felt quite as intense. It seemed almost..._hostile_. But then Neji looked back down at Kiba with a strict expression as though he'd never even averted his gaze.

"Why? What ya gonna do?" Kiba retorted, staring hard at the surface of the table in deliberate ignorance. Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Many, _many_ things, Inuzuki." He said warningly. Kiba twisted to glare at him challengingly for a moment (he was never one to immediately jump to authority's command) then he dropped his chair to all fours with a defiant slam. Neji lifted his head a little in satisfaction and, as he turned to leave, his eyes flicked over to Gaara for a split-second - whose eyes were still unblinkingly focused on him - before he walked away, his long hair swaying in it's bind as he went. I turned my gaze to Gaara questioningly, but he spared me only a split-second glance before looking back down to his phone as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Damn, I hate those council pricks." Kiba spat, sneering at his bento box as though it was its fault Neji had approached in the first place. "They get given a tiny bit of power and they think they own us."

"You didn't exactly deny to do what he asked though, did you?" Gaara stared at him with a twitch of his lips. Kiba stuck out his tongue in response.

"Like I'd say no. Remember what he made me do last time?" He grimaced at the memory. Gaara smirked when he recalled it, then turned his attention to his phone when it vibrated.

"What did he make you do?" I asked, unable to remember myself. Kiba pouted but remained silent.

"He made him mow every single patch of grass on school grounds." Gaara supplied. "Including the sports field."

Kiba shuddered. "That lawnmower weighed about as much as Chouji, seriously."

"Don't let him hear you say that."

I laughed airily and looked over at the entrance to the refectory, mildly wondering where Chouji and Shikamaru were. Kiba sat back on his chair again, now that Neji was on the other side of the room, and struck up a one-sided conversation about what a bunch of assholes the student council consisted of. I was about to turn back to the table and finish my rice when, with a flip of my stomach, _he_ walked in.

Uchiha Sasuke, student council president. My gaze followed him in the door, between several tables and right up to the queuing area beside the extensive silver counter where a small mound of bentos lay for the remaining absent students. I felt my face morph into a frown when the giggles of girls gradually developed around us as they noticed his presence.

"He's another one." Kiba muttered darkly, his eyes meeting the object of my gaze. Raven hair, ebony eyes, ashen skin... A boiling contrast that resulted in this ridiculously good-looking guy who strolled the corridors of our school with admiration all around him, usually in the form of his squealing fans and teachers. Yet, as attractive as he may be, there was nothing about his attitude that said 'come-hither'; he was one of the coldest people here. At least, he was to me anyway. _Why _people insisted on treating him like some God, I didn't understand.

He picked up a bento box and a bottle of water and placed them on his pale blue tray, waiting courteously for the amiably chatting people in front of him to move. I heaved a breath in a sort of annoyed sigh. If it was me stood there, in front of him, he wouldn't have any problem telling _me_ to shift my ass. I frowned at the thought, still staring steadily at him, when he suddenly turned his head and looked straight at me. I felt my body tense under his scrutiny, but I didn't pull my eyes away. To me, it was like a challenge. And he was the _last_ person I'd yield to. I could've sworn his dark eyes narrowed for a second, whether it was from hate or concentration I didn't know, but then one of the girls must've spoken to him, because he tore his eyes away, gave a brief nod and walked right by them.

"It sucks that she's his cousin." I looked away from Sasuke and at Kiba, whose face was now sullen. "I would've won her over by now. He never lets me have any opportunities."

"You couldn't woo a chicken, Kiba." Gaara replied. I chuckled a little at the affronted expression on Kiba's face while Gaara stayed silent, although the corner of his lip tilted upwards in amusement.

"Yo."

"Shiky!" Kiba exclaimed, choosing to ignore Gaara's jibe. Shikamaru and Chouji sat down at the table, the latter looking miserable for some reason. Probably something to do with food. "We're at Naruto's tomorrow night for a party, you guys in?"

Shikamaru shrugged, picking up his chopsticks. "Whatever."

"Sure," Chouji said, his voice sounding a little downcast, "but there'd better be food, my mum's trying to cut us back on our intake and I'm _dying_ here."

"Chouji," Shikamaru said wearily, "it's the first day."

"I know! Imagine the next few weeks!"

"Pssh," he scratched at the crown of his head lazily. "That's going to get fairly-"

"Troublesome?" Kiba finished with a coy grin. Shikamaru stared at him in silent somnolence, then wordlessly started to eat his food.

"You've been unusually quiet." Gaara said. I looked up to find his eyes on me, so I simply shrugged in response. Sure I have, can't a guy just chill once in a while?

"He's just depressed 'cause he's stuck with Uchiha every night." Kiba put in for me, pushing himself in a rocking motion with his chair. Gaara looked to me with raised brows.

"What?"

I sighed and rested my arms on the table. I knew it'd come up eventually. "Kakashi decided to put me in tutorials with him."

"Really now?" Gaara asked, and glanced at Kiba for some form of confirmation. Was it just me, or did Gaara appear a little _too _intrigued by this? It was probably because he knows certain things the others don't. Sure, maybe he can keep quiet, which is a great thing in a best friend, but he sure as hell loves to rip the piss out of me about those certain things when we're alone. Yet again I felt the regret of telling him anything_._

"It's true." Kiba nodded, casting me a taunting grin. "Just before lunch Kakashi decided he needed more help that the rest of us academic weaklings, so that just goes to show how much of a complete dunce he-WAH!"

Kiba fell backwards, his arms flailing hectically, and then he landed on the floor with a loud scrape of his chair. The tables around us burst into loud laughter and I couldn't help but join them; even _Gaara_ chuckled. Kiba pouted as he tried to position himself a little less awkwardly on the floor, a feat proven rather difficult with one of his legs tangled around the chair that had toppled over with him. Shikamaru shook his head beside me.

"So, who was the dunce, Kiba?" Gaara quizzed. Kiba frowned up at him, but as he was about to stand up he noticed the lean form of Neji towering over him and, I swear to God, he actually flinched at the sight of him.

"Inuzuki." He spoke slowly, his hands resting on his hips. That was always a danger sign, I learned that from my experiences with Iruka. "You're on cleaning duty for all three floors _and_ the gym next week. _On your own._" Then he walked away. Kiba smacked his forehead.

--

I hurried down the corridor, pissed with Gaara for letting him drag me to the library for the remainder of lunch break. Well, I wasn't annoyed about the fact he took me to the library. It was more the part where he left me there, asleep, while he fucked off to his own class as I lay drooling all over the textbook that was laid in front of me, completely oblivious to everything around me. It was thanks only to the secluded corner we sat in that the librarian didn't notice me.

I quickly sneaked over to the door of the nearest classroom and peered through the window in the door at the clock. _3.45._ Damn, how long had I spent in the library? There wasn't much point in even going to lessons now, considering it was over in five minutes anyway. Kiba, I _hoped_, would be thoughtful enough to grab my bag when he left.

I picked my pace up to a jog, deciding to wait by the bottom of the stairs we usually went down when class was over, but then I skidded to a stop. _Neji._ And even though he'd stopped to scold some other truanting student, the fact that he was mostly turned in this direction meant he'd probably be heading this way.

Aww, shit.

Glancing around me, I spotted the door of a broom cupboard hanging slightly out of its frame. The last person in there probably didn't shut it properly. Thanking the Lord (even though I'm not religious in the slightest) for this lucky escape, I tip-toed over to to it and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind me. Peering out the long, vertical glass pane, I heard the dull murmurs of their conversation end, followed by footsteps moving closer and closer. When he finally came into sight I ducked down, hoping my spiky blond hair didn't reveal my location, but I must've squatted low enough because he walked straight past. A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I straightened myself up, tugging the sleeves of my white shirt back up to my elbows since they'd fallen due to my hurried activity.

"Oi."

"Gah!" I jumped and turned around, practically flattening myself against the door. "S-Sasuke?" I gasped in surprise, feeling my face heat up a little. Okay, forget thanking the Lord, I only wanted a place to hide! A place to hide with _Sasuke_ in it, of _all_ people, is out of the frying pan and into the fire. A big, huge forest fire with lots of cute animals burning alive. I may as well have stayed outside and taken Neji's wrath.

Sasuke raised an elegant brow at me, so I glared at him, standing up a little straighter to verify my height. "What?"

He stared at me with a desolate frown. "_What_ are you doing?"

_'Avoiding student council members so I don't get into trouble?'_ I thought to myself. '_Though that plan didn't exactly work out, considering the fact I'm stood here talking to you.'_

I huffed and crossed my arms. "None of your business."

He shifted on the spot, mimicking me by crossing his arms as well, and a tint of annoyance appeared on his face. "I'm the president of the student council, whatever _you _do is always my business."

"W-well," I sputtered, "what are you doing in a broom cupboard in the first place?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Returning the broom after a student made a mess."

I snorted and decided that now was probably the most opportune moment to escape. I swizzled on the spot and tugged at the door, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled again, but it just feebly moved a little before settling back into it's original position. The blood practically drained from my face. Locked in here? With _him_?

"Damn it!" I yelled, tugging even harder. No _way_ could this be happening. "We're locked in here! We're freakin_' locked _in here!"

"Idiot."

My jaw clenched and I turned, seething. "Don't call me--" I stopped. He was close, and he was getting closer. I shrank back, feeling a little intimidated, and felt my breath catch in my throat when his hand reached above my head, his chest barely a hair's breadth away from my nose.

"The latch locked, dobe." He said. I noticed that the sound seemed to reverberate deeply in his chest as he spoke. I swallowed loudly. With a light motion that sent a shudder down the sleeve of his blazer, he pulled the latch open, the sharp snap almost making me jump.

"O-oh." I stuttered stupidly, trying to ignore the space between us. Well, the lack of, really.

He moved back now that his work was done, his breath washing across my face as he went - making me flinch a little at the tingle it sparked across my skin - then he fell back on his feet, standing quietly opposite me. My gut instinct was to get the hell out of there, away from this cupboard and away from Sasuke, but…I couldn't. My feet just wouldn't move. So I just stood there, gawking like a fool at the last guy I'd want to stand staring at. Well, no, that's not entirely true - more like the last guy who I'd ever want to _see _me standing there, gawking at him like a fool.

Wait a minute…was it me, or was his face somewhat closer than it should be? I blinked, only managing then to realise that _I_ was the one leaning closer. _'What the hell are you doing_?' The rational part of my mind screamed, but my irrational body didn't listen. If Sasuke noticed my body steadily inclining towards him, he showed no sign of it; his expression was completely impassive. All I could do was watch in horror as my treacherous body inched steadily closer, gradually lessening the space between us. My gaze dropped down to his lips just as they parted for a silent breath of air, and _God _did that look inviting.It was when my eyelids began to fall that, thankfully, the cupboard door slammed into me and stopped me from doing something completely stupid.

"Gah!" I yelped in surprise, flying forward and hitting something so solid that it almost knocked the breath out of me. Blinking twice, I looked down and discovered that it was Sasuke's arm across my chest that had prevented me from falling, though he didn't look too happy about the fact he'd just stopped me from smashing my own face in.

"You idiot." He grunted, shoving me roughly onto my feet. I staggered a little, but managed to keep my balance as I glowered at him.

"Oh," the janitor said. "I didn't realise-"

"I didn't exactly throw myself at you, teme!" I yelled, swinging a finger in his face. "I'm not one of your dumb fan girls!"

"Did I say you were?" He brushed his shirt down, stretching out any wrinkles I could have caused (God forbid) and looked up at me with an expression of cold irritation.

"Urgh!" I threw my arms up in frustration and turned on my heel, pushing past the janitor and stomping angrily down the hall.

"Sorry about that!" He called after me. Yeah right. He didn't sound sorry at all. Though I guess I was now indebted to him, since he saved my neck in there. Because I was certain Sasuke would've broken it had I actually gone any further. I shoved my hands in my pockets and kept my head down while walking past the classrooms, the sounds of scraping chairs indicated that it was time for everyone to go. If the janitor didn't open that door at _that _moment...would I have actually _kissed _him?

I slapped my forehead, perhaps a little too hard because it startled a first year girl just emerging from her classroom. Why the hell was I about to do that? It's just...stupid. And thoughtless. And just about everything Sasuke has ever accused me of being. I sighed, almost feeling disappointed in myself. I was practically proving him right, and he's right _way _too much of the time as it is. I guess I really had to stop letting myself act so rashly.

"_There_ you are. Where the fuck did you get to?" I looked up to see Kiba and Gaara just coming down the stairs, Kiba looking more disappointed than annoyed. "If you were gonna bunk class, you could've told me." He tossed my bag at me, the brute force of which I caught mainly with my chest.

"Yeah, well, I was too busy snoozing in the library to come tell you." I replied, shooting a look at Gaara, who just smirked and shrugged it off. Kiba rolled his eyes and swung his bag over his shoulder as we walked through the front doors and out with the swarm of eager, homeward bound students.

"Kakashi said that, when the rest of us leave, you and your new _tutor_ have to stay in the classroom or the library to do your stuff. _And_ you're not allowed to leave 'til the third years do." He grinned at this piece of information, whereas I suddenly felt the urge to slit my wrists now and get it over with.

"I have to stay with _Sasuke_ until _five_?!" I exclaimed, my entire upper body turning to face him as we walked.

"Five past five." He corrected, and I let my shoulders slump in a wordless expression of grief.

"Just think of it as preparation for our senior year. I'm sure you can handle the _agony _of being with Uchiha 'til then." Gaara said, sounding his smug self yet again. Damn it, why did I have to tell him I liked Sasuke? Really, I think I need some kind of control centre in my brain or something.

"Hi N-Naruto, Kiba, Ga-Gaara." I glanced up to see Hinata standing shyly by the gate. She still had the discolouration on her cheeks that seemed to be fixed there permanently.

"Hi, Hinata." I replied with a friendly grin.

"Hinata!" Kiba straightened up immediately, yanking his bag down to hang by his side. Gaara and I exchanged knowing glances. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, th-thank you." She smiled modestly. "I'm just waiting for N-Neji."

"Oh." Kiba visibly shrunk at his name, but he quickly hid it. "Haven't you got any council duties today?"

She shook her head. "Not today, we-we have to leave early for a family celebration."

"Oh?" Kiba looked interested. I shifted my weight to one leg, while glancing around at the other students passing by. "What are you celebrating?"

"It's-"

"Not any of your business, Inuzuki." I twisted my head to see Neji walking up to us swiftly, his hair swept to the left a little with the light breeze. He moved over to stand by his cousin, then folded his arms. "Need anything else?" Kiba narrowed his eyes.

Hinata looked up at her cousin timidly. "Neji..."

"No." Kiba replied stoutly. He looked at Hinata and beamed. "See you tomorrow, Hinata." I waved and said a quick farewell as Kiba led us through the tall iron gates, tossing his bag over his shoulder again.

"See what I mean?" He said as soon as we were out of earshot. "He's _always _there. No matter what. And why is he out this early anyway? He shouldn't be out 'til five."

"Five past five." I corrected. He stuck his tongue out at me.

"You heard Hinata," Gaara said. "He's probably left early for this family celebration."

"And _you _can stop defending him!" Kiba yelled, gesturing at Gaara with his head. "He's on the friggin' council, for God's sake. They're like, our biggest enemies!"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "I wasn't defending him, I was just stating why he left early. You asked, after all."

Kiba opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't seem to find anything to say, so closed it with a defiant huff. We walked in silence for a short while, until Kiba bade us a grouchy farewell as he turned down a different street. The atmosphere seemed to change as soon as he left us alone. I knew what was coming, almost dreaded it, when Gaara finally tilted his head at me.

"So," he started; I sighed. "What do you think of your new situation?"

"I don't think anything. It sucks." I replied, only afterwards realising that I contradicted myself. Gaara raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Even though-"

"Yes! Even though!" I sighed again, looking across the small park we were just passing. "I hope I don't have to do this for long."

"Afraid you won't be able to resist?" I frowned at him. He smirked in response. "I know what you're like, Uzumaki."

Ah. The last name. '_Someone's feeling a little superior.'_ I thought grimly as we turned a corner. He shot me a smug look. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." I chose to roll my eyes and focus on my house rather than see him smile at me derogatorily while he walked away.

From the corner where Gaara and I split up, it was only a short walk to my place. Just down the block, actually. A block of single floored houses – bungalows, if you will. Iruka's car was outside, so he was probably making our dinner for the night. I adjusted the way I held my bag over my shoulder and walked across the stretch of grass I called a front lawn to my front door, slamming it open with my entrance. "I'm home!"

"Don't open the door so violently! I've told you I don't know _how_ many times!" I grinned and kicked off my shoes. The same old Iruka. He usually begins with some sort of lecture as a greeting. Not that I took it to heart, I was used to it now. I placed my bag by the door and made sure to close the door a little louder than I should've, just so that when Iruka emerged from the kitchen he'd be wearing that scowl that I loved so much.

Ah yes, there it was.

"You realise that you'll damage it someday." He said, drying off a glass with a fresh, white towel that he'd probably run through the wash earlier. That was what Iruka did. He came sometime in the afternoon once or twice every few days when he got off work, tidied up, did some cleaning, made my dinner, hung around for a little while, and then left. It's what he's been doing for almost a year now, actually.

"What's for dinner?" I asked, doing a little skip into the living room and throwing myself down on the sofa. Iruka moved to stand over me, still wiping the same glass with the towel. "That's probably dry now, you know."

He looked down at it, then hung the towel over his arm and stared down at me a little shiftily. "Well, your dinner's in the microwave today."

"In the microwave?" I repeated, curious. He usually stayed to eat at least. Even if he _did _have a ton of kids' work to mark. I stared up at him as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other – a habit I'd picked up doing when I was flustered – preferring to look down at the floor rather than me.

"I'm a little busy tonight." He said, and I could see the beginning of a blush spreading across his cheeks. Now _that _interested me. I sat upright on the sofa and gave him my full attention, surveying him with inquest. Eventually, he drew his eyes back up to mine and the embarrassment reflected there was enough to startle me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. He quickly shook his head.

"No, no. Everything's fine. I'm just..." He trailed off, choosing then to walk back in the kitchen. Of course, I followed him.

"You're just what?" I asked, standing by him as he placed the glass neatly into its cupboard.

"It's nothing." He replied, ducking his head to hide his reddened face as he walked back over to the sink.

"Well, it's definitely _some_thing." I retorted, jumping up to sit on the counter next to him. He looked at me disapprovingly.

"Get down."

"Fine, fine. If you don't want to share things with someone who's practically your _son_-" he flinched at that, "-then it doesn't matter." I hopped down off the counter and snatched up an apple from the fruit bowl, taking a loud, crunching bite out of it. He remained stationary, I don't think even his arms moved to dry the bowl in his hands. Even though it was a little harsh to play the 'son' card just to find out his plans, I couldn't help but anticipate the answer. After all, I've never seen Iruka this flustered before. It wasn't until I took another bite that he spoke.

"I've got a date."

I almost choked on my apple. "Womph?" Wait, I don't think that made sense. I quickly swallowed the remaining fruit in my mouth so that this time he could understand me. "What?"

"I..." He paused, then began scrubbing the bowl incredibly fast. "I have a date, Naruto, no need to make me-"

"Who with?" I interrupted, coming to stand next to him again. He scowled at me.

"None of your business." He ducked to put the bowl away. What? Not my business? He _never _has dates, from what I know, so I beg to differ.

"Of course it is." I countered, but as he stood back up he shook his head, looking a little troubled.

"Your... Your parents sent you a letter." I stilled; not saying anything while Iruka stood and silently watched me. Then, I slowly took a bite from my apple. "It was delivered this morning." He added, looking a little...well, I'm not sure what. Guilty? Concerned maybe? Possibly even sympathetic.

I nodded when I realised he was still waiting for a solid response and threw the remaining half of my apple in the bin, suddenly not hungry any more. "It's on there." He pointed at the kitchen table, where a single letter lay in the centre. I gulped the food in my mouth and approached it, wondering in the back of my mind just _when _it was they had last contacted me. Over a year now, I think.

I lifted it from the surface of the table; the crumbs from my toast this morning were gone - cleaned up, by Iruka. I slipped my thumb under the flap, tugging it across and ripping it open. I heard the glasses clinking behind me as Iruka dried the remaining dishes, probably to fill the silence. I re-focused my attention to the letter and tugged out the single sheet of paper from inside it, letting the envelope fall back to the table. The writing was neat and swirly, and from what was written, I could tell it was written by my mother.

My eyes zipped across the sheet, taking in the words and trying to analyse them all at once. There was only a short amount of text, about three quarters of the A5 sheet was just blank, but the brief letter was all explained in the last sentence.

"They're coming to visit." I said slowly. When Iruka didn't reply, I turned to face him to find him watching me a little solemnly.

"Yeah. They wrote me too. It's good news, isn't it?" He smiled at me, but all the brightness in it was faked, I could tell. I looked back down at the letter as though it would tell me more, but it was mostly casual conversation. Stating that they hoped I was okay, that they were okay, and that they looked forward to seeing me again. So why did Iruka look a little bummed out?

"Wh-"

"I have to get going." He said suddenly. I cut myself off and stood back, feeling a little disappointed, but the expression on his face looked to be urgent.

"Oh, okay." I said. He paused for a moment, but then he left the kitchen, so I followed him to the door. "Hope you have fun on your date." I smiled cheekily at him. He looked back at me with a roll of his eyes while trying to pull his shoes on. "_Lots _of fun."

"Naruto!" I grinned, but didn't expect his hand to come flying at me.

"_Ow!_"

"What have I told you about insinuating stuff like that!" He snapped.

"Not to do it?" I looked at him questioningly while rubbing my sore head. He sighed, then ruffled my hair.

"W_hat _am I going to do with you?" I grinned, and as he opened the door to leave I remembered about Sasuke.

"Oh, Iruka." He looked over his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"I - well," I paused, wondering how to phrase it without getting another slap upside the head. "I got a tutor to help me out with some stuff after school, so I won't be leaving 'til about five for a while." His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You got yourself a tutor?"

"Uh, yeah."

"..." Okay, looked like he was going to do his - "Oh my goodness, I can tell you're growing up! You're just getting so mature now! I'm so _proud_ of you!" - lovey-parenty-huggy-squeezy thing.

"I-Iruka, it's only a tutor." I said into his shoulder, my voice a little muffled and breathless due to the force he tends to use. He gave me one last squeeze then pulled back, smiling widely at me.

"Rather than staying at school, why don't you bring you tutor here on an evening?" He suggested. I almost laughed. Yeah, like Sasuke would want to come _here_.

"No, I -" I tried to think of the right way to say it. "I think it'd be too much bother for him."

"Oh, alright. Well, whatever works." He smiled at me again. "I've got to go, so I'll see you Sunday, okay?" I nodded and grinned myself, I couldn't help it.

"See you Sunday." Then the door closed. I padded back through to the kitchen to find the letter still on the table. My mind churned with confusion, producing many questions in the process. I picked it up, staring over her words one more time.

_'...we'll come to visit you in a few months, I can't wait to see how much you've grown!'_

"I've grown almost three foot since I last saw you." I muttered bitterly to myself, skimming down the paper. It was only then that I noticed a final line, added at the bottom: _'P.S. We've got something to tell you, but it's going to be a surprise. In any case, I'm sure you'll love it!'_

_'A surprise?'_ I wondered. What kind of surprise could parents give you when you haven't seen them in almost ten years? I stashed it back inside the envelope and put it into the kitchen drawer that was filled with any number of random stuff, then stuck the microwave on for two minutes. '_After all,'_ I thought while watching the numbers count down, '_the only thing they ever really gave me was money to stay here. How do they know what I like_?'

I sighed for the millionth time that day, and turned to lean my lower back on the edge of the counter. It was strange... For most of my life I mainly had Iruka, who wasn't my father but he was as good as, and suddenly my parents want back in the picture. It was a bit of a puzzle to me.

_Beep. Beep._

I turned and tugged the microwave door open, grabbing my food and closing the door again.

For now, I guess the best thing to do is forget about it.

--

"I still can't believe you did that, Kiba." Gaara said, his intention to be disapproving failed abysmally when a small smile broke out on his face.

"We need to do shit like that more often man, it's been _way _too long." Kiba laughed.

"You put sauce on his seat."

"It's not on his seat any more." I replied, grinning widely. Gaara rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall beside me, nudging me in the side once or twice with his elbow.

"What?" I asked. He nodded down the hall and I turned my head in that direction, only to see Sasuke talking with some random guy who was probably a member of the student council. I slumped a little. I'd been stood with my two closest friends outside the classroom while Sasuke took care of some council business before coming to tutor me.

"Awww, hey, it's your buddy!" Kiba said, catching on to the new topic and grinning tauntingly at me. I threw him a glare. "I have to go anyway, Hinata's waiting for me in the library since _someone-" _he shot a meaningful look at Gaara, "-won't help me out."

"It just so happens that my brother needs me to help him with the ridiculous amount of alcohol that _you_ requested of him." Gaara shot back. "Besides, I would've thought you'd prefer Hinata over me."

Kiba stuck out his tongue and raised a hand in farewell as he turned in the direction of the staircase. I couldn't help but wish I was going with him.

"I just wish I could get rid of him, you know, so I can sneak out." I admitted.

"Why don't you take Kiba's most recent idea and spread sauce all over his chair?" I smiled, but then Gaara moved a little closer and whispered: "I bet you wouldn't be able to resist the urge to lick it all off him, would you?"

"Gaara!" I yelled, a little surprised at the forwardness of his statement. He chuckled lightly to himself at the embarrassment that must be written all over my face. I pouted. "You're filthy."

"Oi." I turned my gaze to find Sasuke standing before us, staring at me with a patiently expectant look on his face. Apparently 'oi' was now his traditional greeting. "Are you coming?"

I nodded. His eyes lingered on my own for a second, then he walked past me and into the classroom, obviously expecting me to follow. "See you later." I mumbled to Gaara. He just smirked.

I felt my mood drop a little as I slid the classroom door shut, finding Sasuke already seated in one of the chairs nearest the front. He looked up from his slim file when I approached, the indignation his expression showed all-too-openly made me wonder how I could have already offended him. Perhaps it was my mere existence.

"We'll start with mathematics," he began, shuffling some papers around. "Kakashi says that you're the worst in the class at it."

I huffed and slid into the seat beside him, dropping my bag heavily on the floor. "Just call it maths like everyone else." I muttered. He glanced at me.

"There's a reason why my names for you are appropriate, _dobe._" I lifted my gaze up to his deep, onyx eyes, blinking once and saying nothing. I was used to his jibes by now. He held the stare for a moment, but then switched it back to the book he got from...somewhere. Man, my observation skills were bleak. "Read through these-" he drew his slender finger down the page, reading aloud the name of each section as the tip of his finger brushed over it. I couldn't help but wish that page was my face...or hand. Hand would be a little more normal for that fantasy. "-but I'll go over them with you when I get back." He stood and made to leave. Wait, he was talking that whole time?

"Where are you going?" I asked. He looked over his shoulder at me like I was an idiot.

"I just said I'm going to the student council office to get something." He said impatiently. I opened my mouth in a small 'o', and looked down at the page with a furrowed brow. "You should try paying attention, dobe. Maybe you might learn something."

I frowned at Sasuke's back as he left the room, sliding the door shut quietly behind him. With an aggrieved sigh, I placed my elbows either side of the book, propped my head in both of my hands and began the long, tedious read. Algebra was never one of my strong points. Then again, nothing really was when it came to 'mathematics'. Mathematics...what kind of kid _calls_ it that?

It was fifteen minutes later when Sasuke finally returned, and my eyes were sagging with a mixture of boredom and fatigue as I made it through the final sentence of what must be size six font printed across two A4 pages, rambling on about the different uses of algebra...or something. I stopped paying attention a few lines in.

"You finished?" I stretched, nodding to Sasuke as he pulled a chair up opposite me. "Did you understand it?"

"Nope." I replied. The expression on his face hinted that he wasn't too happy with my answer. "What?" I asked.

"Never mind." He said wearily, dragging the book into a position where we could both read it. "I should've expected it to go in one ear and out the other with you." I stuck my tongue out at him, not really caring how childish an action it is. He ignored me. "Now, algebra is a part of mathematics-"

"Just say _maths_." I interrupted. He raised his eyebrows.

"Does the word 'mathematics' offend you?"

"What?"

"I said: does the word 'mathematics' offend you?" I narrowed my eyes. Just what was he getting at?

"No."

"Then shut the hell up and let me teach you _mathematics._" I glared at him while he shot me a superior look, then continued. "Algebra is a part of _mathematics_ that's based on the concept of unknown values called variables..."

_'My God.'_ I thought, slumping back into my chair almost anaemically. '_What have I gotten myself into?'_


End file.
